Who gets to run for board?

Questions surrounding the Jordan District have evolved from "who gets what" to "who gets to run."

The Salt Lake County Clerk's Office on Wednesday worked to sort out questions about a would-be law that could affect the duration of current school board members' terms, and whether some or all of seven seats on both the Jordan-east and Jordan-west districts will be up for grabs in the June 24 special election.

A Jordan Board of Education member Tuesday night raised more questions when she announced she would resign a year after the election, when the district officially splits — mainly, can someone run for her seat or would she be replaced later by appointment?

At this point, Clerk Sherrie Swensen is urging all school board hopefuls to throw their hats in the ring until her lawyers can sort out all the nuances.

"We're telling everyone to file, and if they file for a seat that isn't available ... we'll refund the money," Swensen said. "That's the only way we could handle it, because we're still operating under the current law."

The filing deadline is Monday afternoon.

East-side voters in November decided to secede from the state's largest school district, creating a Jordan-east district and a new Jordan-west district. Transition teams representing both sides are working to divide well over a billion dollars worth of assets.

Rules of that transition, however, have come into question, and Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Cottonwood Heights, sponsored a bill a few weeks ago to try and clear things up.

Added to her bill was a provision aimed at letting current Jordan Board of Education members keep their seats when the district splits. The idea was to keep institutional knowledge in the transition.

But the bill's intended duration of current members' terms on the new board are unclear — for instance, will some be serving five years or more, when they were elected to four-year terms? — because of election language in the current statute.

Also, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. had not signed the bill into law as of Wednesday afternoon. If he does sign it, the law is effective May 5.

The candidates' filing deadline, however, is Monday.

Jordan Superintendent Barry Newbold also is hearing from confused would-be candidates.

"I'm being asked questions I don't have an answer for," he said. "I've been telling them ... the safest thing to do is file until we get more clarification."

Twelve new candidates and all incumbents — except one — had filed for candidacy with the clerk's office as of mid-day Wednesday.